Action to reduce standby power of electric appliances is one of government’s key measures to reduce CO2 emission, specified in the Kyoto Protocol Target Achievement Plan. The key action is the voluntary agreement entered into between the government and major manufacturers associations.

Since 2000, manufacturershave been active in this effort. The country’ s major industrial associations, JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association), JEMA (The Japan Electrical Manufacturers Association) and JRAIA (The Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association) agreed with the voluntary commitments to lower the stand-by power consumption to 1W or lower. JEITA and JEMA completed their commitment at the end of fiscal 2003; JRAIA at the end of the fiscal year of 2004 (at the end of September). Likewise, JGKA (Japan Industrial Association of Gas and Kerosene Appliances) proclaimed to lower the stand-by power consumption to 1W or lower for fan heaters of gas and oil appliances and 2W or lower to hot water supply equipment by the end of the fiscal year 2008. It is expected that if all household appliances were to be replaced by new currently-in-the-market ones, per household standby power consumption would 201kWh per year, approximately 2/3 of the current consumption.

Standby Power Usage in Japan

The government continues to conduct researches on stand-by power consumption in Japan. In FY 2005 estimated annual stand-by power consumption to be 308kWh/year, a 30% decrease from the results of the FY 2002 study, when consumption was estimated at 437kWh/year. The most recent research on standby power usage in Japan was conducted in FY 2012 by METI.